Better Howdy Security & Risk Analysis

wordpress.org/plugins/better-howdy

Remove and restructure the 'Howdy' line by changing 'Howdy' to 'Logged in as'.

10 active installs v1.2 PHP + WP 3.0+ Updated Jun 11, 2011
howdyprofile
85
A · Safe
CVEs total0
Unpatched0
Last CVENever
Safety Verdict

Is Better Howdy Safe to Use in 2026?

Generally Safe

Score 85/100

Better Howdy has no known CVEs and is actively maintained. It's a solid choice for most WordPress installations.

No known CVEs Updated 14yr ago
Risk Assessment

The static analysis of the "better-howdy" v1.2 plugin reveals an exceptionally clean codebase with no identified attack vectors or dangerous functions. The complete absence of unprotected AJAX handlers, REST API routes, shortcodes, and cron events, coupled with 100% usage of prepared statements for SQL queries and proper output escaping, indicates strong adherence to secure coding practices. Taint analysis also shows no identified flows with unsanitized paths, further reinforcing the lack of immediate code-level risks.

The vulnerability history is also a significant strength, with zero recorded CVEs of any severity. This track record suggests the plugin has historically been stable and free from exploitable flaws. The lack of any common vulnerability types or recent historical issues further bolsters this perception of a secure and well-maintained plugin.

Overall, the "better-howdy" v1.2 plugin presents a very low-risk profile based on this analysis. Its strengths lie in its minimal attack surface and diligent implementation of secure coding principles. The absence of historical vulnerabilities is a strong indicator of reliability. No deductions are warranted from the provided data.

Vulnerabilities
None known

Better Howdy Security Vulnerabilities

No known vulnerabilities — this is a good sign.
Code Analysis
Analyzed Mar 17, 2026

Better Howdy Code Analysis

Dangerous Functions
0
Raw SQL Queries
0
0 prepared
Unescaped Output
0
0 escaped
Nonce Checks
0
Capability Checks
0
File Operations
0
External Requests
0
Bundled Libraries
0
Attack Surface

Better Howdy Attack Surface

Entry Points0
Unprotected0
WordPress Hooks 1
filteradmin_user_info_linksbetter-howdy.php:18
Maintenance & Trust

Better Howdy Maintenance & Trust

Maintenance Signals

WordPress version tested3.2.1
Last updatedJun 11, 2011
PHP min version
Downloads4K

Community Trust

Rating0/100
Number of ratings0
Active installs10
Developer Profile

Better Howdy Developer Profile

Matt Martz

12 plugins · 5K total installs

84
trust score
Avg Security Score
85/100
Avg Patch Time
30 days
View full developer profile
Detection Fingerprints

How We Detect Better Howdy

Patterns used to identify this plugin on WordPress sites during automated security audits and web crawling.

Asset Fingerprints

HTML / DOM Fingerprints

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Better Howdy